Meet Our Teachers and Staff
Pacific Crest is accredited through the AdvancedED.
All of Pacific Crest’s Primary and Elementary teachers are trained through Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) training centers. Our Middle School teachers attend Montessori trainings for the adolescent level; these are offered by the North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA) in partnership with AMI.
Head of School: Dorrie Knapp Guy
Growing up in a small college town in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Dorrie’s years in Montessori education are rooted in her own early childhood experiences in a Montessori Primary school. With a BA from Smith College in Northampton, MA and experience working at Pacific Crest beginning in 2005, she went on to earn an AMI Elementary diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute in DC and a Masters of Education, with a focus on adolescent education, from Loyola University in 2009. She returned to Pacific Crest School in 2009 to teach in the Middle School and in Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms.
In late 2015 she stepped into administration as the school's Operations Manager, and she became Head of School in 2016. She completed program certificates in NAMTA's Whole-School Montessori Management and the NWAIS New Heads Institute in 2016.
Dorrie lives in Ballard with her husband and two nieces. She finds inspiration through her work with the dedicated and creative teachers, staff, parents and children of Pacific Crest as each discovers with joy their own unique gifts and character.
“Directing our action toward mankind means, first and foremost, doing so with regard to the child. The child, that ‘forgotten citizen’, must be appreciated in accordance with his true value. His rights as a human being who shapes all of mankind must become sacred, and the secret laws of his normal psychic development must light the way for civilization.” - Maria Montessori (Education and Peace)
Primary:
Elly
Lynelle
Dalia
Ruby
“We must realize the truth of our new mission. This is what I want to impress on you, do not transmit knowledge, but take care of life, which has the possibility of bettering all life. It is a great thing to do, yet so simple.”
- Maria Montessori
Lower Elementary:
Jen has been working in Montessori education since 1998. She is Montessori trained and has taught in Toddler Community, Children’s House and Elementary classrooms. She has a BA from St Olaf College in Minnesota and a Masters of Education from Loyola University. Before guiding the Lower Elementary, she worked at PCS in Learning Support, receiving specific training in programs such as Wired for Reading, Handwriting without Tears and Orton-Gillingham, to work with students having difficulty with literacy, math and writing. She feels fortunate to work at a school that expresses and explores compassion for the world around us.
“Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.”- Maria Montessori
Jacque
"If the idea of the Universe be presented to the child in the right way, it will do more for him than just arouse his interest, for it will create in him admiration and wonder, a feeling loftier than any interest and more satisfying." - To Educate the Human Potential
Upper Elementary:
Erin has been teaching at PCS since 2006. She holds a Master's in Teaching from the University of Washington as well as a Masters in Conservation from the University College London. Prior to completing her AMI Elementary training in Minnesota in 2009, she worked in the Edmonds School District teaching math at Meadowdale Middle School. Her first career was in wildlife conservation. She has worked in a variety of protected areas in Africa, including mountain gorilla conservation in Uganda and marine turtle preservation in Kenya.
Middle School:
Katherine is from New Jersey and has been teaching for 14 years, 11 at PCS. She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College in the teacher training program. I love working at a school where the staff are so deeply committed to improving their practice, rooted in a deep understanding of Montessori philosophy and a belief in the potential of all people. A Montessori quote that I keep in mind relates to education as a means to creating a better world.
"An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live." -- Maria Montesssori
Peter is originally from Maine and is currently in his 7th year at PCS and his 6th year as a Middle School teacher at PCS. Peter holds a B.A. from Colby College and his NAMTA/AMI Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies. I enjoy how each day brings new and various opportunities for exploration and engagement with students at PCS, from discussing books, writing, and algebra to days spent outdoors working at the farm or skiing at Crystal Mountain.
"In this fierce battle of civil life a man must have a strong character and quick wits as well as courage; he must be strengthened in his principles by moral training and he must also have practical ability in order to face the difficulties of life. Adaptability--this is the most essential quality." (Dr. Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence p. 61)
Chuck joined the Pacific Crest Middle School staff in 2006. He holds a B.A. from the University of Washington in Political Science and completed the AMI-NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies in Ohio. He lives in Ballard with his wife Gina and enjoys gardening, home improvement projects and tromping around in the woods. Pacific Crest offers the opportunity for adolescents to develop skills and perspective not available in a traditional setting, highlighted by working on the school's farm on Vashon Island.
"Work on the land is an introduction both to nature and to civilization and gives a limitless field for scientific and historic studies...there is an opportunity to learn both academically and through actual experience what are the elements of social life." -- From Childhood to Adolescence
Spanish:
Inma is from Córdoba, Spain and has been teaching Spanish at PCS for 16 years! She works with everyone from Primary through Middle School. Inma holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Foreign Language and Literature from the Universidad de Filosofía y letras, Córdoba.
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart". --Nelson Mandela
Art:
Rob has been with Pacific Crest since the Middle School's founding in 1991. Rob has an MFA from the University of Washington where he studied under Jacob Lawrence. His vibrant art studio in the Middle School building is home to a vintage Seattle Time’s printing press, a Pfaff sewing machine, fashion dress form, as well as all the classic art making materials. Students from 1st grade through 8th grade work on individual and group projects ranging from mural-sized stencil paintings, to architectural models, to mini pet portraits.
Farm Staff:
Jennifer has been the manager of the Pacific Crest Farm for 8 years. She has spent seasons working on farms in Maryland (where she grew up), Alaska, Ireland and the Snoqualmie Valley of Washington. She has done conservation work and volunteer management with EarthCorps in Seattle and was active in the University Heights P-Patch garden.
"The care of the earth is our most ancient and our most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope". --Wendell Berry
Administration Team
Sue - Business Manager
Michelle - Front Desk
David - Communications
Megan - Admissions/ Admin Manager
Esther - Aftercare Manager